blow out

blow out

1. verb To extinguish something (typically a flame) with some form of air, such as breath or wind. Make a wish and blow out your birthday candles!That huge gust of wind blew out all our tiki torches.

2. verb To break or burst suddenly. I almost lost control of the car when one of the tires blew out on the highway.

3. verb, slang To kill someone, typically with gunfire. Ray blew out the informant, just as the boss told him to.

4. verb To defeat an opponent easily and/or by a wide margin. In this usage, a noun can be used between "blow" and "out." The final score was 17-1? Wow, we really blew that team out!I have a feeling the top-ranked team is just going to blow out any opponent they face.

5. verb To return to a state of calm after turmoil by something's own workings. Don't worry, the storm will blow out eventually.

6. verb To break or explode due to excessive pressure or force. The vibration of that opera singer's high note blew out a window!

7. noun An intense argument or disagreement. In this usage, the phrase is often written as one word. Our neighbors had a real blowout last night—we could hear them screaming at each other through the walls.

8. noun A big, elaborate party. In this usage, the phrase is often written as one word. Come on, we need to have one last blowout before we graduate from college!

9. noun A method of styling one's hair with a blow dryer and a round brush. In this usage, the phrase is often written as one word. To ensure that my hair would look good for the wedding, I stopped at the salon for a blowout.

10. noun An instance of a tire suddenly bursting while the vehicle is being driven. In this usage, the phrase is often written as one word. I almost lost control of the car when I got a blowout on the highway.

11. noun The unchecked, often accidental, release of a substance, such as oil or gas. In this usage, the phrase is often written as one word. What effects did the oil blowout have on marine life?

12. noun An easy victory and/or one by a wide margin. In this usage, the phrase is often written as one word. The final score was 17-1? Wow, that's really a blowout!

13. noun slang An instance of excessive fecal matter not being contained by a diaper. In this usage, the phrase is often written as one word. I'm sorry I'm late, the baby had a blowout, so I had to give her a bath before dropping her at the sitter's.

blow something out

blow out

1. Extinguish, especially a flame. For example, The wind blew out the candles very quickly. [1300s]

2. Lose force or cease entirely, as in The storm will soon blow itself out and move out to sea. Also see blow over.

3. Burst or rupture suddenly, as in This tire is about to blow out. This usage alludes to the escape of air under pressure. [Early 1900s]

4. Also, blow out of the water. Defeat decisively, as in With a great new product and excellent publicity, we could blow the competition out of the water . This term originally was used in mid-19th-century naval warfare, where it meant to blast or shoot another vessel to pieces. It later was transferred to athletic and other kinds of defeat. [Slang; mid-1900s]

blow out

1. To extinguish something with the breath or a gust of air: The child blew out the candles on the birthday cake. The lamp was flickering, so I blew it out.

2. To be extinguished by the breath or a gust of air: If the wind picks up, our fire will blow out.

3. To remove or burst something with powerful or violent force: The blast blew out all the windows on the block. The sudden pressure blew the pipes out.

4. To cause something to burst: The glass on the road blew out our tires. A nail got caught under the inner tube and blew it out.

5. To burst: The front tire blew out when we were driving down the road.

6. To cause something to stop functioning suddenly. Used of an electrical apparatus: Playing your stereo too loudly will blow your speakers out. The surge in current blew out the microchips in my computer.

7. To stop functioning suddenly. Used of an electrical apparatus: Because the light bulb was old, it blew out.

8. To erupt in an uncontrolled manner. Used of a gas or oil well: If the safety valve breaks, the well might blow out and spill oil everywhere.

9. To diminish; subside. Used reflexively of windy weather conditions: Until the storm blows itself out, we'll have to stay inside.

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